Week 50

It is finally ending...The Happiness Experiment. It actually seems to have gone really quick. Here are the final two secrets of happy people:

Secret #99
Money does not buy happiness.


"We spend so much time chasing dollars, worrying about dollars, and counting dollars. It may surprise you to learn that satisfaction with life is no more likely among the rich."


Something that I learned from this secret: more people buy lottery tickets than vote. Very interesting. Everyone wants to be rich. We all think that if we can just afford that one thing we will be happy. But it never ends at just that one thing. Once you start thinking that things can make you happy you are already on your way to unhappiness. "Remember, if money could buy happiness, there would be high-priced happiness stores on every block."

"A study of life satisfaction looked at twenty different factors that might contribute to happiness. Nineteen of those factors did matter, and one did not. The one factor that did not matter was financial status."


Secret #100
What does it all mean? You decide.


"Your future--how you feel about it, yourself, and everything else--follows from the decisions you make, the priorities you develop, and the perspective you see things through."


You are in charge of your own life. You get to decide what you are going to do with the life that you have been blessed with. You are both the driver and navigator on this road trip called life. You get to choose for yourself where you go.

"In a study that followed the exploits of over 100 adults for a period of two years, it was found that the effect of "good" and "bad" events quickly faded. That is, subjects' happiness was not dependent on the sum of events but on what they made of those events."


And now for a quick review of secrets 51-100:
51. Make your work a calling.
52. Never trade your morals for your goals.
53. Don't pretend to ignore things your loved ones do that bother you.
54. Get a good night's sleep.
55. Buy what you like.
56. Accomplish something every day.
57. Be flexible.
58. Events are temporary.
59. Be your own fan.
60. Join a group.
61. Be positive.
62. There will be an end, but you can be prepared.
63. How we see the world is more important than how the world is.
64. Keep a pen and paper handy.
65. Help the next person who needs some minor assistance.
66. Take care not to harshly criticize family and friends.
67. Some people like the big picture, and others like the details.
68. Do things you are good at.
69. Go visit your neighbor.
70. Smile.
71. Don't accept television's picture of the world.
72. You always have a choice.
73. Be agreeable.
74. Don't ignore one part of your life.
75. Listen to music.
76. Let your goals guide you.
77. Use your job positively.
78. Don't forget to have fun.
79. Believe in ultimate justice.
80. Reminisce.
81. Be conscientious.
82. Don't dwell on unwinnable conflicts.
83. Enjoy the ordinary.
84. Focus not on the world's tragedies, but on the world's hope.
85. Get a hobby.
86. Envying other people's relationships is pointless.
87. Give yourself time to adapt to change.
88. Focus on what really matters to you.
89. Realize that complete satisfaction does not exist.
90. Surround yourself with pleasant aromas.
91. Don't let others set your goals.
92. You are a person, not a stereotype.
93. Know what makes you happy and sad.
94. Keep reading.
95. We must feel needed.
96. Say "so what".
97. Have a purpose.
98. You have not finished the best part of your life.
99. Money does not buy happiness.
100. What does it all mean? You decide.

I think that I will look back on these reviews often to keep all these secrets fresh in my mind. I really think that if we follow these simple secrets that we can all be happier. Wouldn't that be nice to only come in contact with happy people. It would also be nice for other people to come in contact with a happier us.

In the end, just like secret 100 says, we decide if we are going to be happy or not. We choose for ourselves if we are going to go through the world happy or grumpy. All the secrets in the world for happiness all come down to that one, Decide.

Thank you to those of you who have attempted to follow me on this experiment. I think even if not a single other person read any of these posts, it still was worth it for myself. I can truly say that I came out of this a happier person. Just knowing that each day begins with a choice to be happy or not is the key.

Let me know if any of this helped you on your journey to happiness. Which secrets were the most helpful? Are you happier?

You decide!